Our Country

Bulgarian traditions were created thousands of years ago. One very important part of the Bulgarian culture are Bulgarian traditions and customs. Their traditions are related to Bulgarian history, religion and trusts.

Bulgarians perform their traditional rituals on the holidays and believe that the rituals will bring happiness, health, love and fertility. Only in Bulgaria people" survakat" on Christmas. Only Bulgarians wear "martenitsi" and only Bulgarians celebrate Baba Marta on 1 March. And these are some of our incredible rituals.
Bulgaria is a country with many beauties and monuments. There are countless relics in the museums. The distinctive villages and the buildings there are amazing. We had many wonderful capitals with castles and churches.
Bulgaria is a great place to visit! And we are proud of being Bulgarians and we want to conserve our traditions.

Bulgarian Treasures

Bulgarian Treasures

The Panagyurishte Treasure

The Panagyurishte Treasure is a Thracian treasure from the end of 4th-the beginning of the 3rd century BC. It was found in 1949, two kilometers away from Panagyurishte. The treasure consists of a beautiful golden service with amazing decoration. It was used for feasts or secret rituals, part of the Thracian mythology. There are nine objects made of pure gold with combined weight more than 6 kg. Four of the rhytons are made as heads or the front part of an animal’s body(ram, goat and 2 deers). On top of the rhytons are portrayed mythological scenes and heroes from the ancient Greek history. One of them features the wedding of the god  Dionys and princess Adriadna. Three of the objects are pitchers in the form of the head of the Amazon. The handles of these pitchers are made as centaur - a mythological animal with the head of a human and the body of a horse.

Master workmanship also has the object with the form of a baking dish. On top of it  four circles are engraved ,  each with 24 ornaments on it. The ornaments are getting smaller from the edge toward the centre. Most interesting in shape and decoration is the big amphora-like object. It’s handles are made as two battling centaurs. It also features the little Hercules fighting with the snake. Again there are magnificent mythological scenes all over the treasure.

The Panagyurishte Treasure has enormous importance for studying of the Thracians, their lives, their connections with other populations and their believes. The treasure is a priceless and beautiful witness of the ancient world.

The Letnitsa Treasure

In 1963 shepherds from Letnitsa decided to make themselves a new cabin. They started digging and on 50-60 meters depth they hit something. It turned out to be a bronze container. When they took it out they found silver objects in it. Most of them had gold backing. After a scientific investigation it was proved that the treasure was a Thracian trestle from the 4th century BC. 23 silver-gold objects! A few different workmanships could be seen. There were real and mythical animals portrayed. The horse, symbol for the sun among the Thracians, had been worshiped when the treasure had been made.

The discovery clearly shows that the objects were a possession of a rich man from the time of Kotis I(4th century BC). The Letnitsa’s treasure is one of the most important examples of the Thracian mastery and its finding was a huge contribution to the studying of the Thracian culture.

The silver blocks with gold backing are unique not only for the Thracian’s land but for whole Europe. They’re with different shape and portray different mythical scenes. One of the main scenes is the marriage of the Thracian master with the Earth Goddess. The Letnitsa’s treasure can be seen in the National archaeological museum.

Tsvetnitsa

Tsvetnitsa is the last big church holiday before Easter.It is always on Sunday.

On this day everyone goes to  church and holds in  hands lighted up willow branches,which replace the palm branches – it is like they again meet their Saver.

Pastors lit the branches and the flowers,bring by the faithful.After worship Christians take illuminated willow branches to their homes for health and to prevent sickness and evil.Usually they are wrapped wreaths to be hung about the house or home over the altar.

Theatre

The beginning of the theater in Bulgaria is placed first with the construction of libraries. They weren’t only a center for science but also for culture. For a long time  the performances were amateur. Even female roles were performed by men. During the Renaissance, the wealthier Bulgarians  sent their children to study abroad and returning they brought the European experience and ideas. Initially there weren’t professional artists, but traveling troupes were touring the country and gave performances.
In 1881 in Plovdiv  the first professional theatre was founded. The majority of the actors were self-taught, but some were trained overseas, mainly in Russia. There, the young actors were trained in the methods of Stanislavsky - our famous actors (for Theater, Adriana Budevska, Atanas Kirchev etc.) and Nikolay Chekhov, who later went to America and there carried  the same methodology. Thus the Bulgarian theater became part of world culture. In 1948, in Sofia the first state university school of acting was opened.

The National Theatre “Ivan Vazov” is the oldest and reputable theater in Bulgaria. It was built in 1906,  designed by Viennese architects Hermann Helmer and Ferdinand Fellner.



Krastio Sarafov is a Bulgarian stage actor. He studied at St. Petersburg and debuted in 1899 with his role “Inspector”. The majority of his roles was played in the National Theater.

Adriana Budevska is a Bulgarian actress and one of the founders of the professional theater in Bulgaria. She is considered to be one of the best  performers in tragic roles.

The recent years are great renaissance of theater because the actors and directors are looking for new means of expression. Bulgarian theater isn’t world famous because of the specificity of our language, but there are several new theater groups, which translate Bulgarian playwrights and play productions in foreign languages worldwide. Cosmopolitan society helps  the development of theater and culture, because translation of the play is facilitated with the development of communications.

Stoyanka Mutafova is a Bulgarian actress, born in Sofia. She has worked in Prague, but the bigger part of her life  she spent working at the National Theater. Today she is one of the most popular actresses in Bulgaria.

Georgi Kaloyanchev is a Bulgarian actor, born in 1925 in Burgas. He is starring in over 60 plays and 63 films. He is an actor who will remain forever in the minds of Bulgarians.

Tatyana Lolova is a  loved Bulgarian actress, known mainly for her  comic roles in films and in theater. She is also author of the autobiography book “Half life”

Stefan Danailov is known actor and politician. He has participated in 53 films and many theatrical productions. Since 2005 Stefan Danailov is the previous Bulgarian Minister of Culture.

Hristo Botev

Hristo Botev (1848-1876)
Botev is briliant author and revolutionary. He was born in the town Kalofer and his father is the teacher Botio Petkov. He was a student in Odesa. Hristo Botev emigrated to Romania in 1867. He was a teacher in Aleksandria and Izmail from 1869 until 1871. He published the newspapers ''Alarm clock'', ''Flag'' and ''New Bulgaria''. He died on 20 May 1876. He was killed in the war.

The Hanging of Vasil Levski

O my Mother, dear Motherland
Why weep you so mournfully, so plaintively?
And you, raven, cursed bird -
On whose grave croak you with such a dread?


Ah, I know - I know you're weeping, Mother
Because you are a dismal slave,
Because your holy voice, Mother
Is a helpless voice - a voice in the wilderness.

Weep! There, near the edge of Sofia town

Stretches - I saw it - a dismal gallows

And one of your sons, Bulgaria

Hangs from it with a terrible power.

The raven croaks dreadfully, ominously

Dogs and wolves howl in the fields,
Old people pray to God with fervor
Women weep, children cry.

Winter croons its evil song,
Gales sweep thistle across the field
And cold and frost and hopeless weeping
Heep sorrow on your heart.

Dobri Chintulov

Dobri Chintulov (1822- 1886)

Dobri Chintulov was born in the town  of Sliven. He was a student in Odesa (Odesa in a city in Russia) from 1839 until 1840. He published his first poem in the newspaper ''Tsarigratski vestnik''. From 1850 he was a teacher in Bulgaria. He is the author of many Bulgarian patriotic songs.

Leaders of Bulgarian Nation

Paisii Hilendarski

The founder of the Bulgarian Revival is considered St Paisii Hilendarski. In 1762 he wrote his famous treatise "Slav-Bulgarian History" (Istoriya Slavyano-Balgarska). The book is a kind of call to the Bulgarians for national awakening and struggle against their oppressors. "Slav-Bulgarian History " is transmitted and copied by the Bulgarian people as a sacred relic.
St Pisii was born in 1722 in Bansko. Although with no education, 23 years old, he went to Hilendar monastery, where he became a priest and podigumen. Two years collecting materials and finishes in history in 1762.
”Slav-Bulgarian History is is a cross-piece which interweaves elements of history, autobiography and journalism. Contains medieval and Renaissance features. Paisii opposes Bulgaria to Greece and Serbia, pointing out its advantages for people to raise their self-esteem.

Sofronii Vrachanski

The activity of Hilendarski has a worthy successor in the person of another national leaders - Sofronii Vrachanski. He is the author of the first Bulgarian printed book, published in 1806. The book is a compendium of festive teachings under the title "Nedelnik". Sofroni Vrachanski reached the conviction that a successful liberation struggle of the Bulgarian people need to be raised primarily level education. It calls for education, liturgy and literature to be spoken Bulgarian language to be accessible to everyone. Sofronii aims to build lasting in people's consciousness of Bulgarian nationality.

  Luben Karavelov 

The  movement of liberation during  the Renaissance brings into the world new revolutionary figures.

The Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee has been created in 1869.It merges two big revolutionary movements – the democrats and the liberals. Luben Karavelov  shows the true face of social relations Ottoman Empire in his issues of the newspaper “Svoboda” /”Freedom”/ . He presents the Ottoman government  as an enemy of freedom and progress of  all Balkan states  .

  Vasil Levski 

Vasil Kunchev , mostly known as Vasil Levski , is may be one of the most famous leaders of Bulgarian Nation . The base of his political ideology is his faith in natural power of Bulgarian people. He defines the biggest aim of the liberating struggle against the Ottoman slavery with general revolution leading to changing the public system to democratic republic.

 

Hristo Botev 

Hristo Botev is a follower of the idea of uniting all Balkan nations into one .He is a revolutionary but also and a  poet and publisher. Botev rationalizes the most progressive ideas of Russia. He yearns for a revolt and becomes one of the ardent Bulgarian leaders, the one who outlines the strategic and tactical aims of the revolutionary struggle of Bulgarian nation.